ILONEN'S VICTORY OVER NUMBER 1 SEED STENSON TAKES HIM TO WORLD NO.37
Week 42

Mikko Ilonen became the first Finnish player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship after a hard-fought victory over Number One seed Henrik Stenson at London Golf Club. Ben Martin only beat one player at last week’s Frys.com Open. He got the best of them all at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Overnight leader Yuta Ikeda narrowly escaped Satoshi Kodaira to win the Japan Open title and Australian Scott Hend joined the pantheons of greats at the Hong Kong Open when he claimed the prestigious title following a play-off victory over a brave Angelo Que of the Philippines on Sunday.

20TH OCTOBER 2014 | 08:41 AM

European Tour – Volvo World Match Play Championship

Mikko Ilonen became the first Finnish player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship after a hard-fought victory over Number One seed Henrik Stenson at London Golf Club.

Ilonen carded four birdies and no bogeys despite the windy conditions to win 3 and 1 and secure the first prize of 650,000 euros, almost double his previous biggest payday from winning the Irish Open in June.

He said: “I see Henrik as one of the world's top players obviously but I see him as my friend.

“He didn't intimidate me at all. We've played so much golf together over the years, so I felt quite comfortable playing with him.

“It could have gone either way really. I had a better afternoon than he did. (If) tomorrow morning we play, it might go the other way.

“But we were obviously playing for the trophy as hard as we could, and I came out on top.”


PGA Tour - Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Ben Martin only beat one player at last week’s Frys.com Open. He got the best of them all at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, hanging tough on the back nine to claim his first PGA TOUR victory.

Martin, the 54-hole leader for the first time in his career, shot 68 on Sunday at TPC Summerlin to finish at 20-under 264, two shots ahead of Kevin Streelman. Martin earned 500 FedExCup points for the victory, and is tied with last week’s winner, Sang-Moon Bae, for the FedExCup lead.

Martin grinded through the first 14 holes Sunday, making just one birdie and two bogeys. He played the final four holes in 4 under.

“I like to play a fade, and starting off from the first hole today, I was hitting a draw, and never really could find that go-to shot,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was 100 percent in command of where the ball was going, but I just said, ‘Hey, let’s play what I’ve got today.’”

Martin was three shots ahead at the turn, but was tied for the lead when he reached the par-5 16th. He sank a 46-footer for eagle after two-putting for birdie on the drivable par-4 15th hole. He then sank a 19-footer for birdie on the final hole, grateful that he didn’t have to stress over a 3-footer for his first TOUR victory.

The victory earned Martin a return to Augusta National. He last played the Masters in 2010 as the U.S. Amateur runner-up. A billboard was erected in his hometown of Greenwood, S.C. (pop. 23,000) to celebrate the accomplishment. Greenwood is only about an hour from Augusta, and Martin has been attending the Masters since he was a boy. The first one he remembers is Ben Crenshaw’s emotional victory in 1995.


Japan Golf Tour – Japan Open

Overnight leader Yuta Ikeda narrowly escaped Satoshi Kodaira to win the Japan Open title on Sunday.

Ikeda had two bogeys and a double bogey while carding two birdies for a 2-over 72 on the final day to finish at 10-under 270 at Chiba Country Club in Noda, Chiba Prefecture. Kodaira had a 4-under 66, but ended one stroke behind Ikeda.

Shingo Katayama shared second place.

The victory was Ikeda’s first Japan tour win this season and 12th overall.

It was his second major victory since he captured the Japan PGA Championship in 2009. The 28-year-old bagged ¥40 million in prize money.

Asian / European Tour – Hong Kong Open

Australian Scott Hend joined the pantheons of greats at the Hong Kong Open when he claimed the prestigious title following a play-off victory over a brave Angelo Que of the Philippines on Sunday.

Big-hitting Hend coolly holed a five-foot par putt at the 18th green in the first extra hole at the venerable Hong Kong Golf Club after Que bogeyed following a poor chip from the greenside.

It was Hend’s sixth Asian Tour victory and his first on the European Tour, which was worth US$216,660. He joins an illustrious list of Hong Kong Open champions which includes Major winners Bernhard Langer, Greg Norman, Peter Thomson, Tom Watson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Padraig Harrington and Ian Woosnam.

Victory was sweet for the Aussie as he produced a wonderful par save from a plugged lie in the greenside bunker on 18 during regulation play to sign for a closing three-under-par 67 and tie Que on 13-under-par 267 aggregate.

“I felt quite calm. The only thing is that you don’t want to go for the pin on 18 as you can make bogey quite easily. I wasn’t sure how to play it and we (with his caddie Tony Carolan) discussed it and we said we’ll play it like how we would in regulation play. Unfortunately, Angelo made a bogey … I would rather see one of us make a birdie as he’s a great guy and it would be nice to win a play-off with a birdie. However, I’ll take the win. I’m ecstatic.”


Asian Development Tour – 15th ADT Chang Hwa Open

Overnight leader Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand outclassed the talented field by firing a four-under-par 67 to win by four shots at the 15th ADT Chang Hwa Open on Sunday. Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand

The 25-year-old Thai, who compiled a four-day total of 13-under-par 271, matched the efforts of Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang in claiming a total of four ADT victories since the burgeoning circuit was inaugurated as a gateway to the Asian Tour in 2010.

Pavit walked away with the winner’s prize purse of US$17,500 and surpassed previous leader Chan at the top of the ADT Order of Merit with his season’s haul of US$68,428.

Niall Turner of Ireland battled to a 70 to sit in second place while England’s Grant Jackson, who carded a 68, stayed a further shot back in third on 276 at the US$100,000 ADT event, which returned to the ADT schedule for the second straight year this season.

Malaysia’s Arie Irawan returned with the day’s lowest score of 65 to settle for a share of fourth place with Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan and Lin Chien-bing of Chinese Taipei on 278 total at the Chang Hwa Golf Club.

Starting the round with a one-shot edge, Pavit continued his consistent form by marking his card with five birdies against a lone bogey to close with a third consecutive 67 in the 15th ADT Chang Hwa Open.

“I’m playing good golf at the moment. This win means everything to me. It gives me a lot of confidence for my next tournament in Macau,” said Pavit, who had received an invitation to play at the US$900,000 Venetian Macau Open held on the Asian Tour next week.


Sunshine Tour – BMG Classic

It took a superb hole-out from a greenside bunker on the 18th on Sunday for Merrick Bremner to win the R800,000 BMG Classic at Glendower Golf Club.

The resultant birdie took him to five-under-par 67 for his closing round and 12-under-par for the tournament, and, when Darren Fichardt’s five-footer for birdie on the last edged its way past the hole, Bremner had a one-stroke edge. Rookie Haydn Porteous was third, a further shot back.

“It took more than one good shot to win the tournament,” said Bremner, “but that bunker shot on the last was something special. It was a very difficult shot, I think about 20 metres, and a little bit of turn from left to right. I just caught it perfectly, watched it bounce and trickle in.”


PGA Tour of Australia – WA Open Championship

New Zealander Ryan Fox has won the John Hughes Nexus Risk Services WA Open Championship by an emphatic six shots.

Starting the day tied for the lead, Ryan Fox made his intentions known early with a birdie on the first before going on to shot 5-under the card for a tournament total of 23-under 265.

The 27-year-old was never going to let this one slip through his fingers and was rock solid throughout the day.

"I am ecstatic and a bit relieved," said Fox immediately after his victory.

"It was great to get off to a good start, get a decent lead and be able to enjoy the last few holes."

"I was pretty relaxed going in. I tried to stay that way, when you're hitting good shots it's pretty easy to do that."

Touted as a rising star of New Zealand golf and the son of All Black Legend Grant, Fox has had high expectations on his shoulders and is ecstatic to have broken through for his maiden victory on the PGA Tour of Australasia.


Challenge Tour – Shankai Classic presented by IDG

Johan Edfors streaked clear of the chasing pack on the final day at the Shankai Classic presented by IDG as a four birdie finish saw him claim a three stroke victory over Michael Lorenzo-Vera at Chongqing Poly Golf Club.

The Swede’s emphatic finish to post 15 under par put paid to the chasing Frenchman’s aspirations of a first title since 2007, while a shot further adrift was a trio that included Bernd Ritthammer, Tim Sluiter and the leading Chinese player – Hu Mu.

Having not tasted victory since a European Tour triple in 2006 – the first of which came at the TCL Classic in China – Edfors proved his class on Sunday to card a blemish free round of 66 and climb inside the top 15 on the European Challenge Tour Rankings, having entered the week in 59th place.

At 13th on the season-long list with just three events remaining, the 39 year old is now in position to return to The Race to Dubai having lost his card last year, thanks to a triumph that came in emotional circumstances.

Earlier in the season Edfors had taken a six month break from the game after a prolonged period of injury and was uncertain if he would continue his career. However a talk he had with his father shortly before he passed away saw him rededicate his efforts, and his win in Chongqing is proof the Swede is now back to somewhere near his best.

“To be honest, I don't think I have ever been as nervous as I was today, especially at the beginning of the front nine,” said the 2003 Challenge Tour Number One. “It's a lot easier to win on the European Tour than out here as there's so much at stake, and a win here almost gets you straight back on The European Tour, so I had to do something special out there on the back nine.

“I took the decision in late July to play Challenge Tour for the rest of the year, because I hadn't performed well on my European Tour invites, and it was tough to plan anything (without a full card). It was really tough for my family because I wasn't able to make any plans, so I decided in the summer to focus on the Challenge Tour and it looks like it has paid off.


PGA Latino America – 56th TransAmerican Power Products CRV Abierto Mexicano de Golf presented by Heineken

Colombia’s Oscar Álvarez survived a close battle with Argentina’s Nelson Ledesma to come out victorious at the 56th TransAmerican Power Products CRV Abierto Mexicano de Golf presented by Heineken.

Álvarez, 31, carded a 69 on Sunday to win by one over Ledesma, who three-putted the 17th hole for a bogey that cost him the title. The champion finished the week at 17-under par 271.

“I had never done this well on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. It brings me great joy to win an event as important as this National Open,” said Álvarez after claiming his first PGA TOUR Latinoamérica title in 32 starts.

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